Letter B Sound Worksheet: Beginning Sound /b/ (Free PDF)

Saying /b/ clearly

Press your lips together, then let them pop open with a little puff: /b/. Keep it quick and avoid adding “uh” at the end. It is “b”, not “buh”.

Teaching /b/ step by step

Hold your child’s hand in front of your mouth so they feel the tiny pop as you say /b/. Then play “b or not b”: say ball, cup, bed, fish, and they bounce on the spot every time they hear /b/ at the start. Move on to the worksheet once they can bounce on the right words most of the time.

Words that start with /b/

Bag, bed, bat, bug, bus, box, bike, balloon.

Common mix-ups

The letters b and d are famous for getting mixed up when children write them. Teach the b “bat and ball” trick: draw the bat (the tall line) first, then the ball. Saying the sound while writing helps too.

Game: Bouncing ball sounds

Sit facing each other and roll or bounce a soft ball. Whoever has the ball says a word that starts with /b/ before passing it back. If someone gets stuck, they can name something they can see in the room.

Around the house

Bath time, bedtime and breakfast all start with /b/. Mention it when you get to each one.

Say it fast

Big brown bears bounce blue balls.

Writing the letter b

Say /b/ while forming the letter on our capital B and small b sheets. Older children can try joined-up cursive b.

What to try next

Ready for more? letter c and letter d are next in the alphabet. Later, b joins other letters in blends like bl and br.